However, it being baby season and Carolina wrens being one of LWR’s “frequent fliers”, another nest of 5 came in last week, the day before I lost the last three from the first nest. These babies were already partially feathered when they arrived, so honestly, the chances of all 5 surviving are slightly better. I like to call Caros little feathered rabbits—they’re that fragile and stressy, yep.
When she came in, her feathers were still mostly keratin-encased and strangely dark; she was stressed and nonvocal and rather lethargic. BUT…as her feathers broke through, the meds kicked in and she started vocalizing, she turned out to be a gorgeous little female Eastern bluebird! I was thrilled when I thought she was a barn swallow, as they’re adorable little birds and among my favorites to rehab; I was ecstatic when I discovered she was a bluebird, as I’d have to rank bluebirds at the top of my rather lengthy “favorites” list.